Boston and Skegness MP Richard Tice accused of ‘living in a dream world’ with transport plan which includes dualling A16 and Boston Bypass

The man behind a bold plan for transport which would include dualling the A16 has been described as ‘living in a dream world’

Deputy leader of Reform UK Richard Tice MP last week unveiled his hopes for the long-awaited Boston bypass, dual the A16 between Boston and Peterborough and deliver various local rail improvements - in a plan which he says would cost £495 million.

Calls have been made for the A16 to be dualled since the new road around Crowland opened more than a decade ago while the fight for a bypass in Boston dates back to the 1940s. Neither of those aspirational project have ever progressed.

While this plan has been celebrated by the senior Reform leaders in the county, concerns have been raised over how this dream will ever be funded - and whether Mr Tice has his sums right.

MP for South Holland and the Deepings Sir John Hayes said: “This is clearly a wish list and will have to be carefully costed. I want a really careful feasibility study and costings before we raise the public’s expectations.”

Sir John pointed out that recent improvements to the McDonald’s and Greencell roundabouts on the A16 were ‘multi-million pound projects’.

He added: “I appreciate it is a nice thing to wish for but there’s not a feasibility study or proper costings.”

Leader of South Holland District Council, Coun Nick Worth, does not feel that the projects will entice Government funding - and that it is time for the Greater Lincolnshire Mayor, Dame Andrea Jenkyns, to ‘prove her power and influence’.

He said: “You can’t knock him for his ambition and his ideas will be well received by the public, particularly in Boston, but the current government are investing heavily in urban areas, not rural areas and this is a massive ask.

“As much as I would love to see the A16 dualled along with improved rail connections, the reality is somewhat different, there is only so much money to go around.

“He is clearly driving the agenda of both the county council and the mayor and the pressure will now be on them to deliver on this and without increasing their borrowing, which they made much of during the election campaign.

“I guess we will now find out how much power and influence the mayor really has and what her and the county council’s priorities are. As they say, the proof will be in the pudding!”

David Jones, chairman of cycling campaign group Pedals, was not impressed by the A16 plans and is not hopeful about the rail links.

He said: “I'm personally not keen on spending money dualling the A16; the main problem is driver impatience and unskilful driving generally - though some kind of flyover solution at Sutterton roundabout would be a helpful addition in the cause of safety. Otherwise, I feel that bad drivers should not be rewarded by millions being spent on a dual carriageway road.

“Campaigners are having difficulty trying to get the railway line to Wisbech re-opened - and the track is still in place, though neglected - I think Mr Tice is living in a dream world! What I would like to see, as would Sir John, and this isn't in Mr Tice's constituency but could be a cause espoused by the Lincolnshire mayor, would be the re-opening of Littleworth station. This would reduce car traffic on the A16 and into Peterborough, and I could imagine it being useful to people travelling from places to the east of Spalding.”

While some people are sceptical about the proposals, Mr Tice’s grand plan has been praised by senior leaders in Reform.

Dame Andrea said: “Across the whole county, we have major transport and infrastructure challenges and some real congestion hotspots. That means longer journeys for residents, and delays and loss of productivity for businesses.

“It is so great to see that Richard Tice cares deeply about this issue and is looking at solutions to traffic problems in Boston and listening to local concerns.

“Historically, Lincolnshire has received significantly less transport funding from central government than other areas. I look forward to working with Richard and other politicians to fight for our fair share of national funding here so we can finally get Lincolnshire moving forward.”

Coun Sean Matthews, leader of the county council, said he was ‘excited’ by the proposals.

He said: "It's great to see an MP like Richard, who really does care so passionately about his constituents, championing this plan for Boston.

"This is clearly something that really matters to local residents too, and would have huge benefits for Lincolnshire as a whole. I’m excited to look into the proposals in detail and see how this develops.

"At Lincolnshire County Council, we want to save as much money as we can, and make sure it is spent on things residents truly care about, including better roads.

"With Richard fighting for his communities in this way, it’s now down to Government to understand the needs for better infrastructure in Lincolnshire - and we’ll support Richard and Andrea to encourage them to take this as seriously as we do."